Celebrate an amazing weekend of Caribbean Culture at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre 

Harbourfront Centre presents the 25^th edition of Island Soul: A lively summer weekend celebrating the rich legacy of Caribbean music, art, performance and food

TORONTO – July 13, 2023 – Huge Fete, Big Soul! Soak up some island flavour on Toronto’s waterfront as Harbourfront Centre celebrates the vibrant people and culture of the Caribbean with the 25th edition of Island Soul. With its extended four-day weekend of festival programming from August 3–7, 2023, visitors and audiences can revel in an exciting lineup of free and ticketed events, ranging from live dancehall, Soca and reggae performances at beautiful lakeside venues to multidisciplinary arts, comedy, film, fun family crafts and activities and delectable cuisine, all of which represent the many distinct islands of the Caribbean.

Some of the highlights Island Soul festival-goers can expect include:

• A return of its popular performers showcasing a unique blend of Island cultures, from Soca royalty, Naliah Blackman and the award-winning DJ Power to international comedy legend, television star and Hollywood writer Gina Yashere, the six-piece, genre-bending ensemble straight from Trinidad and Tobago Freetown Collective, and more.
• Audiences can dance the summer weekend away at the late-night events Island Soul After Dark and Riddim Nights, a fitness-inspired dance session with a Soca sound alongside Carnival Spice and find their rhythm with Empress Mash Up, a reggae mash-up featuring Canada’s all-female reggae band, the Rayzalution Band featuring four female solo artists.
• Literary enthusiasts can join award-winning children’s book author Yolanda T. Marshall for an engaging and family-friendly story time. Film buffs will have the opportunity to see a screening and meet the creative team of When Morning Comes, a dramatic narrative film focused on a young Jamaican boy who grapples with the idea of saying goodbye to his homeland, plus many more exciting events and workshops.

Closing out the summer September 1–4, 2023 is the Hot and Spicy Festival spotlighting India. Audiences will enjoy Bollywood folk music from Padmashri Kailash Kher, backed by his Indian fusion band Kailasa on the Concert Stage, JUNO-nominated contemporary jazz and funk ensemble Autorickshaw (with key vocalist Suba Sankaran), laugh with Abish Mathew at his comedy special and indulge in delicious food representing the diverse culinary culture of India.

Also returning this summer are fan-favourite festivals, Tirgan 2023, Habari Africa and TAIWANfest, promising a rich exploration of cuisine and culture.

Detailed information and dates for all summer programming, and food and market vendors can be found at HarbourfrontCentre.com.

ISLAND SOUL FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING

TICKETED EVENTS

The Woman King of Comedy: Gina Yashere

August 3 at 8pm, Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Join comedic expat/export Gina Yashere for a night of laughs and humour from a lifetime of television, movie and stage experience guaranteed to keep you going all night long.

Island Soul After Dark

August 5 at 11pm, Lakeside Terrace

Spinning after dark, DJ Starting from Scratch, DJ Che la Soul and Mister Phantastik. Hosted by Omar “Oh! The Artist” Lunan of the legendary Recipee Band.

Riddim Nights

Freetown Collective, Sound Curator, DJ Mendosa, DJ Lambo

August 6 at 10:30pm, Brigantine Room/Patio

Fete! Bashment! Turn Up! Party at Riddim Nights with a special appearance and performance by Freetown Collective. Followed by the duo Sound Curator and DJ Mendosa giving afrobeat, dancehall and amapiano. Closing out the night is international sensation DJ Lambo, bringing her unique fusion of house music, techno, reggae fusion, afropop and hip hop.

FREE EVENTS

MUSIC

Nailah Blackman and DJ Power

August 4 at 9:30pm, Concert Stage

Big riddim! Soca songstress Nailah Blackman and international producer DJ Power bring the heat this Island Sould for an evening of wining all night long!

Empress Mash Up

Tiffanie Malvo, Chelsea Stewart, Natural Fyah, Donna Makeda, Rayzalution Band

August 5 at 5:30pm, Stage in the Park

Di empress dem ah mash up di place! Empress Mash Up is an all-female reggae jam session featuring four dynamic solo artists and their variations of reggae, dancehall and RnB.

French Caribbean Percussion Workshop

August 6 at 3pm, Stage in the Park

Immerse in vibrant rhythms at this French Caribbean percussion workshop. Learn drumming, explore body percussion and have endless fun!

Daniel Bellegarde

August 6 at 6:30pm, West Lawn

Back on stage, percussionist, composer, arranger and archivist Daniel Bellegarde presents Pastourelle, the second album in his trilogy of Haitian roots with Celtic and Brazilian musical influences. This recording is a tribute to the quadrille, the contra dance and troubadour style.

Freetown Collective

August 6 at 8pm, Concert Stage

A unique blend of Caribbean rhythms and the passion of Calypso, the six-piece, genre-bending outfit from Trinidad welcome audiences to their galaxy of harmony and melody, music philosophy and good vibes. Mixed up in this living sound, audiences will hear hip hop, Soca, blues and trap for music that moves through genre and time.

DANCE

Silent Disco

AIRMOVES

August 4–6 at various times, South Lawn

AIRMOVES celebrates music of the Caribbean and African diaspora through a family-friendly silent disco. Three channels of music will be available to attendees through their headsets, as Toronto’s best DJs spin Soca, reggae, lovers rock, afrobeat, R&B, pop and more.

Soca with Carnival Spice

August 6 at 2pm, North Orchard

Jump! Jump! Jump! Sweat it out with award-winning fitness buffs Carnival Spice, ready to bring the energy in a light, loose fitness dance session with special carnival dancer guests ready to usher in the spirit of Caribana.

FILM

When Morning Comes

Kelly Fyffe-Marshall

August 7 at 7pm, Studio Theatre

When Morning Comes is a 95-minute dramatic narrative film focused on 10-year-old Jamal Sutherland, who lives in rural Jamaica, and the domino effects of his actions after he overhears that he is being sent to live with his grandmother in Toronto. Guest starring the king of comedy Oliver Samuels (Oliver at Large) and Paul Campbell (Shottas, Dancehall Queen), the film aims to pay homage to Jamaica’s lively culture and some of its biggest homegrown legends. Come join us, and end your long weekend by relaxing and enjoying some free popcorn.

LITERARY/STORYTELLING

Lores by Yolanda

Yolanda Marshall

August 6 at 4:30pm, Main Loft

Award-winning author Yolanda T. Marshall invites you to a captivating story time. Join her for a reading of C is for Carnival, an educational and rhyming alphabet book that follows children in colourful costumes as they “play mas”. The celebration continues by reading My Soca Birthday Party with Jollof Rice, Steel Pans and Keman’s First Carnival.

Calypso 365

Roger Gibbas (AKA Rajiman) and Henry Gomez (AKA King Cosmos)

August 7 at noon, Lakeside Terrace

Presented by the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes and Harbourfront Centre, Calypso 365 is a two-hour workshop on the rudiments of calypso composition. Participants will work individually and in groups in the workshop and will have the opportunity to perform their compositions.

Detailed information and dates for all Island Soul programming can be found at HarbourfrontCentre.com

About Harbourfront Centre

Harbourfront Centre is a leading international centre for contemporary arts, culture and ideas, and a registered, charitable not-for-profit cultural organization operating a 10-acre campus on Toronto’s central waterfront. Harbourfront Centre provides year-round programming 52 weeks a year, seven days a week, supporting a wide range of artists and communities. We inspire audiences and visitors with a breadth of bold, ambitious and engaging experiences, and champion contemporary Canadian artists throughout their careers, presenting them alongside international artists, and fostering national and international artistic exchange between disciplines and cultures. Harbourfront Centre gratefully acknowledges its Programming Partners: Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and City of Toronto, as well as its Corporate Site Partner: Labatt.

lead photo Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage. by Brian Medina

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